


Better Man

by childofmischief



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gabe is a dick, Mention of abuse, Sally is such a strong woman like bless
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 20:36:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11539974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofmischief/pseuds/childofmischief
Summary: After a misinterpretation of what Paul was doing, Sally remembers Gabe, and tells Paul what he had done.Paul is a better man than Gabe, a much better man, and Sally needs him to know that.





	Better Man

**Author's Note:**

> **ABUSE TRIGGER WARNING!**   
>  **IF THAT TRIGGERS YOU DON'T READ.**
> 
> If not, continue.

Paul and Sally sat next to each other for dinner, smiling and laughing as they talked about their day. Tomorrow, Percy would be coming home, and they couldn’t be any happier. Percy may only be Paul’s stepson, but he loved him as if he were his own. So what if he hadn’t been there until Percy was fourteen, the boy was still very much his son. 

Paul swallowed what he had in his mouth, smiling brightly at Sally. “I can’t wait to see Percy tomorrow.” He said, barely able to contain his excitement. “Annabeth is coming with him, right?” 

Sally nodded. “We might ditch you.” She joked, winking. Just then, Paul saw a fly fly above Sally’s head, big and black, and stood to swipe it away, recoiling when Sally flinched and yelled,

“I’m sorry!” Sally cowered, her arms thrown up to protect herself from an invisible blow. Concerned, Paul sat right back down, his face pale. He hadn’t known what he had done, and Sally seemed to change from happy to scared just like that. 

“Sally?” He asked, his own voice shaking. She peeked at him through her arm cover, and upon seeing him nothing but concerned, and not anger, she lowered her arms, a blush forming on her face. “Are you alright?” 

Sally looked down, feeling tears stinging her eyes. She bit her lip, before clearing her throat, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’m alright.” She said, beginning to push back her chair, and taking her half eaten plate. Paul’s silence was deafening in the small apartment as he tried to gather his thoughts and understand what had just happened. He reached a conclusion, and gently stood, taking the plate from her hands. 

“You’re not alright.” He said, knowing full well Sally couldn’t argue that when her hands were shaking as he took the plate. He set it down, making sure not to make too much noise, and gently took her hands, steadying them. “Can you tell me what’s wrong? Of course, you don’t have to, but I would like to know.”

Sally looked at their hands, and pulled Paul to the couch, their dinner long forgotten about. Hesitantly, he took her in his arms, relieved when she fell into them. Seeing her like this scared Paul, he’s only ever seen her as an incredibly strong woman. When Percy disappeared, she was nothing but strong, knowing he would turn up because he’s Percy Jackson, son of Sally Jackson, strongest woman in the world.

“You know about Gabe, my exhusband.” Sally started, Paul nodding as a way to encourage her to continue. “He was a horrible man.”

“I don’t know much about him.” Paul said. “But what I do know he sounds like it.” 

Sally played with Paul’s shirt sleeve nervously. “Percy and I said we wouldn’t tell you.” She sighed. “We were scared it would scare you away.”

Paul rested his chin on her head. “You won’t. Whatever happened, it seems like it was completely out of your control.”

Sally sighed. “Gabe was abusive.” She spat, not in anger towards Paul, but towards Gabe, at the fact that even all these years later she was still scared of him. She rubbed a circular scar on her arm, one Paul had asked her about before but she never told him how it had happened. Most days, she covered it up. “This was because of him.”

Paul, with his own shaking hand, rubbed a tentative finger across the scar, Sally shuttered. “What did he do?” Paul asked, scared to hear the answer. 

“Cigar.” She whispered. Paul’s finger stopped, as he began to feel anger towards Gabe bubble up inside him. A man who the love of his life had married burned her with a cigar? Now that she mentioned it, that scar on her lip, that wasn’t from when she was a kid, was it?

“Sally?” He asked. “Where did that scar on your lip come from?” 

She sighed. “He was physically abusive.” She said nothing else about that scar. “I got the brunt of it most of the time. But that was because I had to beg him to leave Percy alone.” A soft smile passed her lips. “He tried so hard to protect me.”

Paul planted a soft kiss on her head. “Percy’s a good kid.” He said. “Quite the momma’s boy.”

“Before you, he had no positive male influence.” Sally continued. “It was us against the world. He wanted to protect me from Gabe, not knowing I married him to protect Percy.” She turned into Paul’s chest, taking in the warmth of the kind man holding her. “Percy really wanted me to leave him. I probably should’ve.”

“You were trying to protect your son.” Paul said. “Even if it meant being with a man like that, I think it was worth it.” He tightened his arms around her. “You are the strongest woman I have ever met.”

Tears began to stream down her face, but they weren’t tears of fear or sadness, they were tears of happiness. What had she done to deserve to be with such a great man. Her life hadn’t been easy, but this man, he saw past that, and he loved her for who she was. 

“Don’t cry, Sally.” Paul cooed. 

“I’m just so happy.” Sally said. “What did I do to deserve such a great man like you?”

 

Paul laughed, the sound reverberating through his chest. “You’re a wonderful woman.” He said. “What did I do to deserve you?” 

“You’re a much better man than Gabe was.” Sally said.

“That isn’t hard.”

The next day, Percy nervously stood at the door of the apartment he hadn’t seen in a year. Annabeth held his hand tightly, giving the boy strength he needed to do something that shouldn’t have been scary, but even facing titans and giants and death was scarier than this.

He knocked, three loud, sharp knocks, hearing sounds of shuffling in the apartment followed by the door swinging open and his mom, _his mom_ , hair a little disheveled, her eyes bright and happy standing there in awe because her son, _her son_ , was standing there with his girlfriend, the woman she loved like her own daughter. She quickly took both of them in a hug, releasing a breath she had been holding for a year. A quiet sob escaped her lips, followed by a watery laugh as Percy desperately clung to both of his girls. 

“You’re alive.” Sally breathed. “You’re both alive.”

“Can’t get rid of me that easy.” Percy chuckled. 

“No, I can’t” Sally pulled away and planted a soft kiss on both of their foreheads, turning back to Paul, who was wiping his own tears away. 

“The family’s all here.” He said, moving in for his own hug.


End file.
